Review: The Return of the Knights by Gregory Kontaxis
Blurb:
The Palace of the Dawn will soon be stormed. The most ruthless man of all time is one step away from assailing on Iovbridge and dethroning Sophie Delamere. The Queen of Knightdorn is now alone, with neither allies nor an army capable of rebuffing the enemy which is approaching her city. Everything appears to be over, until a mysterious young man, Elliot, makes his appearance.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Elliot will try to draw Walter away from Iovbridge and face him in the stronghold of Wirskworth. He will attempt to rekindle relations and revive the old alliance between the Queen of Knightdorn and Syrella Endor, the Governor of Wirskworth. Elliot’s mission will take every fibre of his will and if he fails, so shall the kingdom.
Game Of Thrones meets Greek mythology in this explosive epic fantasy story, packed with war, medieval lore, magic, loyalty and bravery. The first book in the series, The Dance of Light, will take you on an epic journey to a fantasy world of men and mythical creatures which will keep you spellbound till the very end.
Review:
A gorgeous cover, a very friendly author, and a story that was begging me to read it. This is what roped me into finally diving into the beginning of a series that seems to have set a very high bar for itself. It does have a lot of the typical fantasy tropes of chosen one and prophecy, but it uses a unique blend of Greek mythology and intricate world building to stand on its own. The action starts quickly and it is not held back! The breath taking action will be a highlight for many readers as it is easy to visualize and draws a reader to keep reading. It is definitely a highlight of the first novel and really sets the pace for the novel. It goes quickly and is not a long novel for what would best be classified as an epic fantasy. This is a great entry for those who are looking to get into the genre or to relive childhood classics. Many readers will enjoy it just for that reason alone.
The strength of the novel is most definitely the world building. From using typical creatures, like the pegasus, to using political ideals, Gergory Kontaxis knows how to create a world that should be mentioned among some of the greats. This really sets the stage for a wild ride of a story, leaving the breadcrumbs for readers to eagerly follow into the next novel in this series. Even in a short novel, there are a lot of characters. I found myself having to reread portions to make sure that I was following the correct character. The author does provide an index of dramatis personae which will help readers a ton. But having to do this frequently does lead to some breaks in the story, interrupting a very quick pace. This is more of a personal issue, but could find readers getting frustrated at having to do this. The magic is also a very strong positive in the story, especially as it relates with some of the Greek history. This is prevalent and is a strong part of the story.
I really did enjoy the beginning of this series, knowing that there are more great things to come. Mr. Kontaxis has a skill that will be envied by many, especially in creating a world that is easy to imagine and believe. It is impressive to realize that this was written in Greek first, and then translated to English. This is not evident and would not be noticed unless someone had really looked into the novel first. I encourage readers to buckle in for a wild ride upon the back of a Pegasus for a debut of a fantasy series that will be in the libraries of Olympus. I know that I will be looking forward to reading the sequel and other novels that will be coming in this series. I am sure that I will not be alone with this idea.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
